Design of improved rail-to-rail low-distortion and low-stress switches in advanced CMOS technologies

This paper describes the efficient design of an improved and dedicated switched-capacitor (SC) circuit capable of linearizing CMOS switches to allow SC circuits to reach low distortion levels. The described circuit (SC linearization control circuit, SLC) has the advantage over conventional clock-bootstrapping circuits of exhibiting low-stress, since large gate voltages are avoided. This paper presents exhaustive corner simulation results of a SC sample-and-hold (S/H) circuit which employs the proposed and optimized circuits, together with the experimental evaluation of a complete 10-bit ADC utilizing the referred S/H circuit. These results show that the SLC circuits can reduce distortion and increase dynamic linearity above 12 bits for wide input signal bandwidths.     

Digital-domain self-calibration technique for video-rate pipelineA/D converters using Gaussian white noise

A digital-domain self-calibration technique for video-rate pipeline A/D converters based on a Gaussian white noise input signal is presented. The proposed algorithm is simple and efficient. A design example is shown to illustrate that the overall linearity of a pipeline ADC can be highly improved using this technique     

A Cmos Interface for Thermocouples with Reference-Junction Compensation

This paper presents a CMOS interface for a thermocouple, includingreference-junction compensation. The interface contains a first-orderoscillator whose period is modulated by the signal from the thermocouple(V_X) and two other signals generated internally. One is abase-emitter voltage (V_BE) and the other is a PTAT voltage(V_PTAT). Linear combinations of the periods corresponding tothese two voltages are made by a µC, to obtain a reference signal anda temperature-dependent signal. The internal signals are required to provideauto-calibration for offset and gain and to measure the interface internaltemperature. Dynamic Element Matching is applied to generate an accurate andreliable PTAT voltage. The inaccuracy in the base-emitter voltage iscalibrated using a vertical PNP substrate transistor with multi-emitterareas. The applied modulator used in the circuit has a second-orderfiltering which suppresses low-frequency (1/f) noise. This filteringproperty enables the use of a low-cost CMOS process for the implementationof the circuit. The interface is able to measure a voltage(V_X) in the range of –27 mV to 100 mV, the measuredaccuracy of the system over a temperature range of –25°C to75°C is 550 ppm of V_X ± 2µV. The inaccuracyin determining the reference-junction temperature is 0.6 K. The measuringtime is 50 ms.     

Flipped-around multiply-by-two amplifier with unity feedback factor

This letter describes a multiply-by-two amplifier inherently insensitive to capacitor mismatch with an enhanced feedback factor of approximately unity. The proposed flipped-around structure, which operates in a single clock cycle, is based on the series association of two charged capacitors to achieve an accurate gain of two. Due to the series association of the capacitors, a nearly unity feedback factor is achieved, greatly enhancing the energy efficiency of the circuit. Simulations, in a standard 0.13 μm 1.2 V CMOS technology, also show a fourfold linearity improvement over the conventional structure.     

Word selection by integrated magnetic needles in the 107-bit THEMIS store

Word currents in the batch fabricated THEMIS store are supplied by magnetic selection needles closely integrated with the storage elements. The selection needle behaves like the well-known switch core. The word current generated is a function of many parameters and tolerances because of interactions between the storage elements and selection needles. This paper discusses these interactions in detail and describes the needle-stack construction which led to well-defined word currents. It also gives results of full- and half-selection current measurements on two 256-plane stacks.     

Understanding negative bias temperature instability in the context of hole trapping (Invited Paper)

Hole trapping is often considered a parasitic component clouding the real degradation mechanism that is responsible for the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI). As such, it is often dealt with in a rather sketchy way that lacks physical rigor. We review hole trapping mechanisms that go beyond the conventional elastic tunneling mechanism by including structural relaxation and field effects. Contrary to some previous studies, it is shown that the rich spectrum of experimentally observed features of the most commonly observed defect in amorphous oxides, the E′ center, is consistent with experimental data available for NBTI. In particular, we show that a full model that includes the creation of E′ centers from their neutral oxygen vacancy precursors and their ability to be repeatedly charged and discharged prior to total annealing is consistent with a first stage of degradation. In a second stage, positively charged E′ centers can trigger the depassivation of P_b centers at the Si/ SiO₂ interface or K_N centers in oxynitrides to create an unpassivated silicon dangling bond. We formulate a complete model and evaluate it against experimental data.     

The RFID Propagation Scenario

Measurement campaigns have been conducted in order to characterize the RFID propagation channel. A number of propagation scenarios have been exploited, including both outdoor and indoor environments in typical manufacturing plants. Field data are then analyzed and a path loss model is proposed. Such a model is based on an improvement of the classical two-ray path loss mechanism, additionally adjusted to encompass the effects of the inherently directional propagation properties of the RFID environment. The fading effect has also been characterized, and it has been observed that the Extreme Value Distribution may yield a good fitting to the experimental data. To the best of the authors’s knowledge, the scope and reach of the experiment as well as the proposed model are unprecedented in the literature.     

Does solitary plasmacytoma still exist? Value of MRI of the spine

In order to differentiate benign from malignant pulmonary masses by means of observing blood flow signal, with coloured Doppler sonography, the authors examined 67 in-patients who had been found having masses in the lungs by X-ray or CT. For comparison 43 benign cases showing blood signals in the lung was also examined. The results showed that the blood flow signals of all lung cancers were of relatively low blood flow resistance or arteriovenous shunting, while those of benign lesions were of high blood flow resistance. The pulsatility index in lung cancer was 1.02 +/- 0.30, the restance index was 0.52 +/- 0.13, the peak systolic velocity was 0.19 +/- 0.11 m/s, the end diastolic velocity was 0.06 +/- 0.02 m/s. The pulsatility index in benign pulmonary lesions was 1.53 +/- 0.30, the resitance index was 0.86 +/- 0.05, the peak systolic velocity was 0.28 +/- 0.05 m/s and the end diastolic velocity was 0.04 +/- 0.01 m/s. There were significant differences between the benign and malignant pulmonary lesions in the four indices (P < 0.01) by t test and t' test. Lower pulsatility index, lower resistance index, lower peak systolic velocity and higher end diastolic velocity were characteristics of malignancy.     

Persistence of Muller's ducts in the male. A family observation (author's transl)

The authors report two cases (in brothers) of the persistence of Muller's ducts (uterus and uterine tubes), whilst both individuals led a normal though infertile sex life. They presented with a bilateral inguinal hernia and a cryptorchidism. The precise diagnosis was made at surgery in the first, whilst the family history led to the diagnosis in the second. Both underwent bilateral orchidopexy, and hysterectomy with excision of the uterine tubes. The caryotypes were normal. Of anatomical interest was the fact that both had vas deferens included within the uterine wall but the there was no continuity between the epididymes and the testes. The latter contained seminiferous ducts, Sertoli cells and spermatogonia but no spermatocyte nor spermatozoa. On the basis of these cases, the authors emphasise their demonstrative nature: the presence of testes resulted by the secretion of testosterone in the induction of normal external genitalia whilst the absence of factor inhibiting Mullers ducts (or tissue resistance to this factor) resulted in the development of the uterine tubes and uterus.     

Performance management in flexible manufacturing systems

This article treats several performance management decision problems in flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). This work differs from a number of other studies in that we allow the processing rates at the machines to be varied, and the system has to meet a given throughput goal per unit time. The managerial decision options modeled here include part routing and allocation of tasks to machines, work-in-progress (WIP) levels, capacity expansions, tool-type selection, the setting of throughput goals, and multiperiod production planning. We discuss and explain the insights and implications, partly nonintuitive, gained from our investigations. Finally, extensive numerical evaluations are included to illustrate the economic and performance impact of the various performance management alternatives. These results demonstrate that substantial economic benefits can be achieved by careful tuning of the FMS operational parameters.